1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for efficiently extracting heat and mechanical energy from a pressured gas by expanding same in a plurality of rotating fluid pressure chambers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many mechanisms and methods have heretofore been proposed for effecting the extraction of heat from a refrigerant fluid as one step in the operation of an air conditioning or refrigerating system. The most common method of heat removal is by conducting the heated refrigerant fluid through a heat exchanger and subjecting it to the cooling action of a flow of cooling air or water. Such systems necessarily involve the location of the cooling mechanism exteriorly of the space to be air conditioned or refrigerated. Most conventional cooling systems therefore required one motor to effect the compression of the refrigerant fluid to convert it from a gas to a liquid and to drive a cooling fan for removing the heat involved in the compressor operation, and a second motor to move room air through an evaporator. The cooling was achieved by evaporation of the liquified refrigerant fluid in the evaporator to produce a cooling effect on air or other fluid stream passing in proximity to the evaporator. In any event, most prior art systems involve the use of substantial amounts of energy to effect the desired cooling action. Furthermore, special refrigerant fluids, such as Freon, were required.
In the co-pending application of James G. Adams, Ser. No. 343,240, filed Jan. 28, 1982, and assigned to the assignees of the instant application, there is disclosed a prime mover for an air conditioning system which involves the extraction of both heat and mechanical energy from a pressured refrigerant gas through the non-combustible expansion of such gas in a piston and cylinder assembly wherein the piston and cylinder are relatively movable with respect to each other. Such piston and cylinder assemblies are, however, mounted on a rotating supporting body and positioned on such body so that the path of relative linear movement of the piston and cylinder elements is disposed in a plane substantially normal to the axis of rotation and is radially displaced from the axis of rotation. Such location of the piston and cylinder elements effects displacement of the movable one of such elements to a radially outward position as a consequence of centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the piston and cylinder assembly by the rotating body. A charge of pressured gas is introduced into the piston and cylinder assembly so as to cause a relative movement of the piston and cylinder elements in a direction in opposition to the centrifugal forces acting thereon. The gas pressure reaction force assists in driving the rotating body, while the concurrent expansion of the pressured gas results in a substantial cooling of the confined body of pressured gas. Hence, the movable one of the piston and cylinder elements assumes a radially inner position at which point exhaust ports are traversed by the piston, permitting the expanded and cooled gas to be exhausted in a chamber defined by an enclosure shell which surrounds the rotating body and the piston and cylinder assemblage.
The apparatus disclosed in the aforementioned James G. Adams application then proposed to effect a compression of the expanded and cooled gas through the centrifugal action of the rotating chamber within which such cooled gas was discharged. Further experimentation has revealed the fact that excessively high rotational speeds of such rotating chamber would be required to effect the condensation of the cooled gas solely by centrifugal force. At the same time, the higher the rotational speed of the rotating body, the higher the pressure of the gas that must be supplied to the cooperating piston and cylinder elements in order to effect displacement of such elements against the ever increasing centrifugal force.
In such prior art apparatus, a connecting rod has been secured to each of the piston elements, and such connecting rods were in turn respectively connected to rocker arms provided on a hub which was rotatable about the axis of the rotating body carrying the piston and cylinder elements. Additionally, each cylinder had to be pivotally mounted on the rotating body. The oscillating movement of the hub imparted by the piston connecting rods was employed to operate control vavles for supplying pressured fluid to, or removing cooled expanded gas from the cylinder chambers. Such connecting rods, hub mechanism and cylinder pivot mountings constituted expensive items to fabricate and maintain in the apparatus.